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Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
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Preparing for your appointment
By Mayo Clinic staffIf you've been diagnosed with one or more thyroid nodules, you're likely to be referred to an endocrinologist — a doctor who specializes in endocrine disorders. To help you get the most from your appointment, try these suggestions:
- Be aware of any pre-appointment restrictions. At the time you make your appointment, be sure to ask if there's anything you need to do in advance to prepare for diagnostic tests you might have.
- Write down all symptoms and changes you're experiencing, even if they seem unrelated to your current problem.
- Write down key personal information, including any recent life changes or other stressors.
- Make a list of important medical information, including recent surgical procedures, the names of all medications you're taking and any other conditions for which you've been treated.
- Write down questions to ask your doctor. For instance, you're likely to want to know whether nodules that don't cause problems need treatment and what treatment options are available.
References
- Thyroid nodules. American Thyroid Association. www.thyroid.org/patients/brochures/Nodules_brochure.pdf. Accessed Oct. 9, 2008.
- Ross DS. Diagnostic approach to and treatment of thyroid nodules. http://www.uptodate.com/online/content/topic.do?topicKey=thyroid/8983&selectedTitle=1~70&source=search_result. Accessed Oct. 9, 2008
- Ross DS. Overview of thyroid nodule formation. http://www.uptodate.com/online/content/topic.do?topicKey=thyroid/2323&selectedTitle=2~70&source=search_result. Accessed Oct. 9, 2008.
- Approach to the Patient With a Thyroid Nodule. The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals. http://www.merck.com/mmpe/sec12/ch152/ch152b.html?qt=thyroid%20nodules&alt=sh. Accessed Oct. 9, 2008.
- Ridgway EC. Medical treatment of benign thyroid nodules: Have we defined a benefit? Annals of Internal Medicine. 1998;128:403
- Lee GA et al. Disorders of the Thyroid Gland. In: Lalwani AK. Current Diagnosis & Treatment in Otolaryngology — Head & Neck Surgery. 2nd ed. New York, N.Y.: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2008. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=2829111. Accessed Dec. 16, 2008.
- Clark OH. Thyroid & Parathyroid: Evaluation of Thyroid Nodules & Goiter. In: Doherty GM et al. Current Surgical Diagnosis & Treatment. 12th ed. Ann Arbor, Mich.: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2006. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=2061372. Accessed Dec. 16, 2008.
